This invention relates to the trimming of molded articles and more particularly to the trimming of the flash and finish of hollow plastic articles.
When formed in dies, hollow plastic articles such as containers or bottles usually have flash in at least one of the shoulder, neck and finish areas. The finish also has material which must be removed to provide an end face for sealing engagement with a closure or cap engageable with the neck of the article.
Various methods and apparatus have been previously used to remove the flash from an article and machine a face on the finish. In these methods, a separate apparatus or machine has been used to perform each step of removing the flash, removing material from the finish, forming a face on the finish, and inspecting the completed article. Conveyors move the articles from one machine to the next and separate transfer mechanisms associated with each machine pickup and load articles into each machine and unload articles from each machine.